Planoghaph co



E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRlAGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 6.1911.

1 ,310,885, Patented July 22, 1919.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 1-115 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII co., WASHINGTON, n. c

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. 1917.

Patented July 22, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

liven/502' 5M THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH ca, WBHINGTON, 0. c

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 19! 7.

1,310,885, Patented July 22, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ran sraras PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, 01? LE CREUZOT, FRANCE, ASSIGNO-R T0 SCHNEIDER. & CIE., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

G-UN1- CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed September 6, 1917. serial No. 189,951.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the French Republic, and a resident of'Le Creuzot, Saone-et-Loire, France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gun-Carriages, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

This'invention-has for its object 'to provide an improved gun carriageof the type comprising pivoted twin trails supported at their forward'ends by means of a pair of inter-connected caterpillars.

The improvements of this invention consist in that the carriage head in or upon which the gun mount or pedestal may be pivoted for the purpose oftraining-the gun, and to which the twin trails are pivoted in such a manner that these can be spread apart, is instead of being directly connected to the axle (in the present case the cross member connecting the pair of caterpillars),- ar

ranged to be movable on a real or imaginary axis as a pivot carried by an intermediate support connected to the axle; the said axis being arranged in the prolongation of the pivot of the gun pedestal. By this construction, the entity comprising the gun pedestal and the carriage head with the trails pivoted to the latter, can be caused to turn relatively to the caterpillars, by an angular displacement of the carriage head on the intermediate support. This displacement allows the gun to be set in firing position upon the caterpillars, which latter have been brought into and left in a position parallel to a covering parapet.

An embodiment of this invention is illus trated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic side elevation partly in vertical section of a gun provided with the improvements of this invention, in position for transport.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in vertical longitudinal section along the aXis of the carriage head, of the gun in firing position, showing the caterpillars located parallel to the covering parapet.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line TIL-III of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on the line IVIV of Fig. 2.

In all these figures, A is a carriage head in or upon which a small gnn mount or gun pedestal B of any suitable construction, is pivotally mounted for training the gun. C are the twin trails pivoted by means of pivot pins 0 to the carriage-head A. r

The forward support for firing the gun is constituted by two caterpillars D, D whose trucks D are connected by :a cross member D the entity D-D D being employed instead of the usual carriage wheels.

According to the present invention the supporting of the entity AB'C C upon the caterpillars DD D, instead of being efl'ected by a direct connection between the carriage head A and the cross member D is effected by means of a support E in or upon which the carriage head A can pivot, whereby the entity .A 'BCC is enabled to be displaced angularly with relation to the caterpillars.

The intermediate support E' maybe con- "nected to the cross member D either rigidly in the usual manner with its longitudinal axis XX at right angles to the axle (F.

The support E may consist for instance of a circular platform engaged with the underside of a carriage head A, which latter is made circular and forms a turn-table upon which the gun pedestal B is mounted and engaged and able to pivot. In such a case the disk E may have on its underside blocks or brackets E E whose cheeks or side pieces are journaled on horizontal pins (1 projecting from the cross member D F is a common pivot for facilitating the centen ing of the head A on the support E on the one hand, and of the gun pedestal B on the head A on the other hand.

For transport, the carriage head A may be locked to the support E by any suitable means, such as the locking device shown in Fig. 4.

A key G for instance may be engaged in eyes a and 0 carried respectively by the carriage head A and the support B. The latter may also be locked to the cross member D by means of links H (in the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2) which are disengaged for firing (the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2).

It is to be understood that when the gun has been brought up to the firing station into the position shown in Fig. l, with its caterpillars D, D located parallel to the covering parapet, then, without having first detached the limber, by making use of the latter, the whole system comprising the trails and the head A carrying the gun pedestal B can if desired be turned through 90. The gun can then be run out for firing in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, where I indicates the covering parapet.

What I claim is 1. In combination, a gun carriage support adapted to receive a gun carriage and provided with gun trails hinged thereto, a pair of caterpillars provided with a transverse connection, and means mounted on said transverse connection and revolubly supporting said gun carriage support.

2. In combination, a gun carriagesupport adapted to receive a gun carriage and provided with trails hinged thereto, a pair of caterpillars provided With a transverse connection and a member articulated to said connection, adapted to revolubly support said gun carriage support and to permit deformation of the forward supports formed by the caterpillars in relation to the rear supports formed by the tralls.

3. In a gun carriage comprising a pan of connected caterpillars, a carriage head, a

gun pedestal pivotally mounted on said carriage head, and twin trails pivoted to said carriage head, the combination with said carriage head and the connecting cross member of said twin caterpillars, of an intermediate support carried by said cross member, formed with a circular supporting track on which said carriage head can turn like a turntable thereon, a central pivot pin extending upward from said intermediate support through said carriage head and up into said gun pedestal, whereby said gun pedestal can be rotated horizontally on said pivot relatively to said carriage head for training the gun, and also said carriage head together with said gun pedestal and said twin trails can be rotated horizontally as a whole relatively to said intermediate support for bringing the gun and the parts comprised in the said whole, if desired, into a position at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the caterpillars for firing the gun. v a

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i 

